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A Brony Tale

USA | 2014 | 75 minutes | Brent Hodge

Ashleigh Ball is a voice actor best known for her characters Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the hit children’s series, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” A kid favorite, it has another, more unexpected following: men ages 13-30, a.k.a. Bronies. Follow Ball as she heads to their biggest gathering, BronyCon.

Voice actress Ashleigh Ball acknowledges that “The pervert alarm, for sure, went off in my head,” when she first head about the “Brony” phenomena. The concept of a Brony— an adult male fan (usually aged 18-30) of the animated children’s series "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"—does give one pause. In this Morgan Spurlock-presented documentary, director Brent Hodge follows Ball, the voice actress behind the series’ characters Applejack and Rainbow Dash, to her first BronyCon—the largest "My Little Pony" fan convention in the world. As we meet the celebrities of Brony fandom, and see them through Ball’s eyes, we discover what Bronies already know: friendship is magic. Un-ironic and non-controversial, A Brony Tale, is never mocking or condescending. Ball is bemused that she’s a part of people’s lives in this way, and that voice acting has made her a celebrity in this sub-division of geek culture. The Bronies themselves echo the values of the series, and are visibly moved and inspired as they talk about their commitment to celebrating friendship and kindness unapologetically claiming that, “Bronies have changed the definition of masculinity.”

Director Biography

Brent is a Canadian Screen Award and Leo Award-nominated director. Brent now runs his own company Hodgee Films which focuses on video content for agencies, travel documentaries, and filming live events around the world.

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